Welcome to Anthropology

Chair's Message

Anthropology is the study of humankind throughout space and time; as such, the field of anthropology brings together the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to explore the full range of diversity in the human past, human biology, and social life and practices. The UCCS Department of Anthropology serves our students and community by promoting and advancing a nuanced understanding of human origins, history, and diversity. Integrating creative and robust research with outreach to students and the community though teaching and service, we provide our students with rich opportunities to learn and collaborate both in and out of the classroom. We focus on opportunities such as team teaching, interdisciplinary coursework, and integration into applied and hands-on research projects to give our students a well-rounded look at the human experience.

Collectively, the members of the UCCS Department of Anthropology believe in a synergistic approach connecting our research, teaching, and service. We are engaged in strong interdisciplinary collaborations both within our department and with colleagues in several related fields, from psychology, geography, sociology, biology, and health sciences to Women’s and Ethnic Studies, museum studies, theatre, and history. We seek to continue offering one of the best undergraduate anthropology programs in the country while striving to enhance our core strengths. First, we will continue to grow our already robust program integrating undergraduates into a broad array of applied anthropological work, from hands-on training in curation, preservation, public outreach, laboratory techniques, field methods, and cultural resource management to participation in local and international field schools, internships, and community-based research opportunities. Second, we will expand the pioneering interdisciplinary research and teaching offered by our world-renowned Center for Cognitive Archaeology and related interdisciplinary initiatives in human cognition and evolution.​ Third, we will continue to provide students with a broad anthropological foundation that will serve them within and beyond the classroom, and a disciplinary skill set, both critical and applied, that will be useful throughout their lives and in a wide variety of career paths.

Kimbra Smith, Ph.D.

Associate Professor / 719-255-3555 / ksmith5@uccs.edu.

Featured Program

News

Faculty profile: Minette Church searches for untold stories

Minette Church has unearthed shards of ceramics, broken toys and other artifacts from people who lived long ago, trying to connect the past to the present. MORE